LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

This measure would recognize the month of June 2017 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, would recognize Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as The Longest Day in California, and would urge all Californians to wear purple on this day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer’s Association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s disease.

Digest Key

Fiscal Committee:
NO

Bill Text

WHEREAS, The month of June 2017 has been declared Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month to help educate the public on this debilitating disease and the need to increase efforts to combat its human and economic costs; and

WHEREAS, The summer solstice, June 21, 2017, has been declared The Longest Day, with teams around the world coming together to honor the strength, passion, and endurance of people facing Alzheimer’s disease with a day of activity and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, California has 630,000 residents living with Alzheimer’s disease, more than any other state in the nation, and the state’s population is projected to grow by 38 percent in the next decade, reaching 840,000 individuals affected by 2025; and

WHEREAS, California’s Medi-Cal program this year will spend $3.5 billion on skilled nursing care and home and community-based supports for beneficiaries living with Alzheimer’s disease, quickly climbing to $5 billion in Medi-Cal spending within eight years; and

WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is always fatal and today it is the fifth leading cause of death in California; and

WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is a family disease impacting 1.6 million California spouses, partners, children, and other relatives who provide unpaid assistance to a loved one; and

WHEREAS, California caregivers devote 1.8 billion hours of unpaid assistance to family members valued at over $23 billion in nongovernment financial support; and

WHEREAS, California’s 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey found that 27.1 percent of people with memory problems in California live alone; and

WHEREAS, African Americans, Latinos, and women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, having higher prevalence rates than the general population; and

WHEREAS, On average, a person with Alzheimer’s disease lives four to eight years after diagnosis, but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors; and

WHEREAS, Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, which today has no known cause, cure, or prevention; and

WHEREAS, Individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers need acknowledgment, support, and services to meet their needs over the lengthy progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes June 2017 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, recognizes Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as The Longest Day in California, and urges all Californians to wear purple on that day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer’s Association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s disease, and be it further;

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.